CARL EDWARDS, No. 99 Fastenal Ford Fusion – WILL GUYS TRY TO DRAFT IN PRACTICE OR WAIT TIL THE RACE SATURDAY NIGHT AND THE TWINS THURSDAY? “That is a good question. I haven’t talked to Jimmy (Fennig) about our drafting plan yet. The way drafting practice went in testing it might not be good for your car or your health to practice too much.”
I GUESS NASCAR IS SUGGESTING OR TELLING DRIVERS THAT IF THEY WANT TO GET AN IMPACT BASELINE TEST THAT THEY MIGHT WANT TO BECAUSE IT COULD BE MANDATORY NEXT YEAR. IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WILL CONSIDER DOING OR WAIT TIL THEY MAKE IT MANDATORY? “I don’t know enough about it. I want to learn more about it before I comment. I have heard in passing that you might want to do it, but I will learn about it.”
RICKY STENHOUSE, WHAT MAKES HIM A GOOD RACE CAR DRIVER? “I think after the season I will know more about racing with Ricky Stenhouse but the races I have been in with him I think he is ultra aggressive, has amazing car control and makes very good decisions on the race track. All of those reasons are why he has back to back championships in the Nationwide Series. That is tough to do.”
DO YOU THINK HE IS MENTALLY STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE ALL THE THINGS COMING HIS WAY ON AND OFF THE RACE TRACK? “I have spent just enough time with Ricky to be confident that he can handle any amount of pressure. I think that he seems to me to be one of those guys that is not going to have any trouble dealing with anything that goes on. I think he goes out here and races because he wants to win and doesn’t care too much what others think.”
HE WAS ASKED ABOUT PUSHING A ROUSH TEAMMATE OR PUSHING DANICA TO THE WIN. HE SAID HE WOULD TAKE IT THREE WIDE. “There are all sorts of relationships in the garage, friends, family members, those you like and don’t like. I don’t think this adds anything of note. It is just racing. Once we get out there and race I don’t think you know anything different from watching.”
WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF THE ROUSH TEAM THIS YEAR? “I think all of us were sad to lose Matt Kenseth. He is a champion and a huge contributor to the team but to gain Ricky Stenhouse is a very big thing for us. I think there is a lot of stuff that Ricky can teach us and he brings a lot of energy and enthusiasm. For me personally, my 99 team, having Jimmy Fennig as crew chief is huge and I am very excited about it. Every day I spend with Jimmy I get more excited about the possibilities of how well we can run.”
HAS THERE BEEN ANY CHANGE FROM THE FENWAY SIDE OF THINGS IN TERMS OF THERE SUPPORT? “John Henry and the folks at Fenway have been unbelievably supportive of racing. I don’t think there is a bigger race fan on the planet than John Henry. I think we have one of, if not the most solid foundation for our team with Roush and the Fenway Sports Group.”
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW JOHN PERSONALLY? “I know him a little bit. We have spent a bit of time together. He and his wife are great people. It is neat to be involved with someone like Mr. Henry. He just loves racing. He is a race fan. He enjoys race cars and driving and being part of this and that is fun when you have someone that is doing it for that reason.”
HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR OFF SEASON PREPARATION THIS YEAR AS OPPOSED TO LAST YEAR? “It was a little different this year. I spent a lot more time getting to know the guys. I took every test that was offered. I wanted to test all I could so I could be around Jimmy and the guys more. I watched a little more tape and mentally prepared a little bit better.”
HOW DO YOU MENTALLY PREPARE BETTER? “Just spending a little more time going through what my plans are for races, practice and strategies and things like that. I actively sat down and devoted more time to it.”
DO YOU WORK WITH A TRAINER? “Yes, I have a good trainer through Carmichael Training Systems. His name is Dean and he has helped me a lot. The biggest thing for me though is to make sure Jimmy and I don’t miss anything these first few races. We have a different protocol for when I will be at the hauler before practice, review after the race and stuff so that we don’t miss anything.”
DO YOU REACH OUT TO THE RED SOX ORGANIZATION AT ALL FOR ANY PHYSICAL TIPS? “That is a good idea. I haven’t done that but it is something I should be doing.”
HOW DISAPPOINTING WAS LAST SEASON COMPARED TO 2011? “Pretty damn disappointing.”
HOW DID YOU GET OVER IT? “Well, it was disappointing and it was as frustrating as it could be but it was also so much different than the expectation that we had set that it was actually shocking. We finished the season and thought it was not at all how I thought it would go. I sat here a year ago and literally planned on winning somewhere between five and 10 races and dominating the championship. The way we ran at the end of 2011 I thought we had everything in place. Then it kind of fell apart. That was very frustrating. It was also humbling. It was a pretty big test for me to keep my mind on doing the things that I knew I could do well and focus on giving it 100-percent even when we weren’t in the Chase which was really not a lot of fun.”
WAS IT SMALL RELIEF THAT TONY STEWART DIDN’T DO AS WELL EITHER? “No, it was no relief because I didn’t even follow how he did.”
COULD YOU GET OUT OF HOMESTEAD FAST ENOUGH? “I was ready to leave, yeah. This off season was different for me than any other off season. I say that because I didn’t go to Vegas for the banquet – the first time I haven’t gone to the banquet. It seemed like a really long off season. I have never been more ready to go race. People around me have noticed it too. They can see how excited I am and having Jimmy Fennig – when we made the change I didn’t know much about him but I am really looking forward to working with him. I want to be careful because a year ago I thought we were going to be great so I don’t want to get ahead of myself but I have a gut feeling that this is going to be a great season.”
YOU ARE SUCH A DRIVEN PERSON, NOT THAT THE OTHER 42 GUYS AREN’T, BUT IT SEEMS MIND BLOWING TO US THAT WHILE NO DRIVER CAN FLIP A SWITCH AND BE THAT GUY, I THINK YOU HAVE THAT ABILITY. “There were a number of times I got out of the car last year and thought I drove my guts out and it was a 12th or 13th place finish. I feel like when I need to I can dig deep and make something happen. I have had crew guys that could do that and a crew chief in Bob Osborne that could sit there sometimes and just make something happen. Last year we just couldn’t do it. I don’t know what was different. The race at Homestead the year before was exactly like what you said. We sat on the pole, led the most laps, pit stops were flawless. It felt like everyone responded well to that pressure. I was pumped about going into 2012 and we just couldn’t make it happen. That is a reminder in this sport that you have to have everything perfect. It isn’t like you can just throw it on your back and make the car three-tenths faster sometimes. That was pretty frustrating and humbling. It made me realize that I need to make sure I am doing my part on all fronts. I need to have the best communication with my crew chief and make sure everyone is healthy and focused.”
JIMMY FENNIG IS THE LONGEST STANDING CREW CHIEF IN THE ORGANIZATION. DOES HE GET MORE RESPECT THAN OTHER CREW CHIEFS YOU HAVE WORKED WITH BEFORE? “No, Jack does a good job of when he puts guys in a crew chief role he lets them do what they think is best. I think Chad Norris had a tough situation because he got shoved into a situation on a team he didn’t put together with Jack and Bob looking over his shoulder. He had a tough job last year. For you guys that have been around Jimmy Fennig a lot, he runs things they way he wants them to be run. He doesn’t get told what to do. He treats me as if I am just a tool in his toolbox and Jack Roush is the same way. He tells everyone what he needs to make the car fast. That is exciting for me to be with a guy like that who doesn’t really answer to anyone at the shop. I feel like there are a lot of things I can learn for him”
IS IT A GOAL TO TRY TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU GUYS DON’T HAVE TO TALK? “I think Jimmy and I really are on the same page in that we don’t care if we like each other or talk or whatever. As long as we have success we are happy. He told me he is doing this to win and not for any other reason and I am in the same boat. I think that is the way we are going to both go do this. We are going to go race and if he yells at me or if I yell at him, whatever we have to do to make it work is what we are going to do.”
DID YOU EVER YELL AT BOB? “About once every two or three months Bob and I would have some knock-down, drag-outs behind the hauler. That was great about our relationship.”
DID YOU CHANGE YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE DURING THE OFF SEASON? “I don’t think anything I have done during the off season affected my performance. I have a pretty good routine and don’t plan on changing that. I want to be in the best shape I can.”
WITH THE NEW CAR IN THE EQUATION, THAT IS SOMETHING ELSE YOU HAVE TO WORK ON RIGHT? “Well, we didn’t really have anything to build on last year. To me, the more changes we can have, the better. The new car? Awesome. That is something all of us have to learn together. New crew chief and crew? Great. That makes me more engaged to get to know them better. There is no better time in my career to have these changes than right now because last year was so frustrating. Whatever Jack wants to change or NASCAR wants to change I am all for it.”
DO YOU HAVE ANY RACE DAY SUPERSTITIONS? “No, I used to do that stuff with good luck charms and things but I don’t do that anymore. I don’t think those things make your car go any slower or faster.”
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE WHOLE DANICA, RICKY THING? “I don’t think about it honestly. It doesn’t really matter to me. Ricky is a good guy and Danica seems really nice so if they are happy then that is good for them.”
DO YOU GET JITTERS AT ALL GOING INTO A RACE? “I don’t get jitters going into any of the races. I would say I get the most excited and my heart rate is probably up the most at the end of the race with a shot to win. That is when it gets really exciting. That is when everything seems to slow down and you are hyper focused and I really like that feeling. I haven’t had that a lot recently. I am looking forward to that.”
